RTI Method Gets Boost in Spec. Ed.

Intervention can spot learning disabilities.

The main federal special education law’s promotion of a practice that can identify children with learning disabilities and give them early help has brought new attention to the method.

Known as “response to intervention,” or RTI, the method aims to catch specific learning disabilities before the students fall far behind their classmates. In the best cases, teachers can ease the disabilities and make formal special education services unnecessary.

The educational practice is specifically mentioned in the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which covers...